BMJ Rapid Response: Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome a meme? 18 June 2014

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PR activist

I think you could argue that CFS is a meme but its one spreading ignorance amongst the medical profession. Its not spread through families but through medical schools. And it encourages believers like Newton and Collings to attack patients or for believers to block research proposals so there beliefs are not challenged. It encourages believing doctors to cause repeated harm to patients with GET despite countless reports of bad side effects.

The problem is the believers in the CFS are willing to believe the poorest quality research, obvious manipulation of results such as PACE and fail to acknowledge other research looking at cause. They created the CFS name for their meme.

The CFS meme is not new we have seen it with MS, Asthma, parkinsons etc. Its a meme of not accepting we don't understand everything whilst believing that people should be able to control physical effects with their minds. Its irrational but too many doctors believe it.

Senior Member

A meme for the not very bright, easily influenced, and frankly lazy both in the health profession and the general public who want to be able to ignore a difficult problem... If we won't go away, then just pretend we don't exist.

A meme for the not very bright, easily influenced, and frankly lazy both in the health profession and the general public who want to be able to ignore a difficult problem... If we won't go away, then just pretend we don't exist.

Senior Member

Senior Member

I don't have the time myself but describing the attitude that "the condition is treatable with exercise" as a meme could make an interesting comparison to what they have written. And has the benefit that they would likely be annoyed by it. Don't have time to do one myself at the moment.

Revolting Peasant

This does seem to be sadly typical of the mind set of some (most?) of those who work in NHS services in the UK. It accords all too well with the experience I had a few years ago at the Infectious Diseases Unit at the Edinburgh Western General (a.k.a the fatigue clinic for psychosomatic illness if they would just be more honest about it).

Apparently, according to my consultant:

pacing is harmful. Yes, folks, you read that right; it wasn't a mistype.

90% of the patients who attend the clinic consider themselves recoverd. Yes 90%. No, that wasn't a mistype either. But before you rush along to your G.P. to request a referral to this wonderful centre of excellence, I'm afraid to report to you that I didn't ask her for the evidence of their amazing results. I was too busy picking up the shattered pieces of my jaw off the floor at the bare-faced shame of it.

Then again, thinking about it now, I wonder if both of those statements may not have been memes .

I note that the authors of the response letter left themselves an awful lot of wriggle room, else I might of wondered 'so how come I developed the symptoms of what was later to be recognised as M.E. if I hadn't even heard of such a condition? Was it a magic meme or some kind of stealth meme?' But oh no, the authors cleverly anticipated my point:

It seems unlikely that memes alone account for the aetiology of CFS: quite likely many factors combine to bring about the condition.

Further, someone could write a reply article. Describe BPS as a meme, or something. What makes ME or CFS(CCC) different is hard objective evidence. That is lacking for every single psychosomatic diagnosis.

You are right - my apologies to the two David Newtons for confusing them. I still think the BMJ RR is of dubious authorship, why would a Consultant in geriatrics and a Physiotherapist collaborate on a bizarre interpretaion of meme theory in response to a ten year old article ? If the intent were to have been less malicious I think authorship would have been L E Phant or something similar; if it really is genuine I think I'd be concerned about the health of the author(s).

Senior Member

....As well as seeing consultant physician Dr Tony Collings at the clinic, Margaret has also received help from a physiotherapist and an occupational therapist and is now walking unaided and beginning to recover some energy. She is hoping she will eventually be able to do a few hours of work each week.

Dr Collings said the condition – which typically affects high achievers and people with obsessional personalities – is still stigmatised.

He said:“It is difficult for other people to accept because there is nothing to see. But it is very real and can be quite devastating in its effects. It affects all ages, but is most common in late middle age, and affects more women than men. Although some patients manage to hold down a job, others are totally bed-bound and need full-time care.”

Guest

Less rent, less business rates, less cleaning and hygene services, less medical insurance, less standard business overheads - I'd say even on a full patient list which is almost impossible to achieve - top end school teacher salary would be equivalent rather than Banker. NHS physios earn no where near that. Any reason that this particualar physiotherapist should be singled out, or are all the UK's physios somehow objectionable ?

Senior Member

Less rent, less business rates, less cleaning and hygene services, less medical insurance, less standard business overheads - I'd say even on a full patient list which is almost impossible to achieve - top end school teacher salary would be equivalent rather than Banker. NHS physios earn no where near that. Any reason that this particualar physiotherapist should be singled out, or are all the UK's physios somehow objectionable ?

Only that he's the chap in who apparently wrote the article and is 'treating' with CBT and whilst I don't deny some skill involved - I was surprised at the charge. Other than that no, not really. I am not familiar with the costings of NHS contractors. Whereas - as a former banker - I felt I was able to make a somewhat self-deriding comment.